Law incidents - S14, Week 14

For ten teams this was the end of the 2007 Super 14, but which ten would rest was decided only by that remarkable match in Pretoria when the Bulls broke records.

So far we have discussed a touch judge incident in Perth and given some stats. We shall also give our last scrum report.

We shall not talk about Perth again. There is a clip on www.sareferees.co.za where it can be viewed. On the same site Jonathan Kaplan, the referee that evening, discusses the matter as well in answering a reader’s question.

1. Off the head

There is a breakdown and a turn-over in the favour of the Crusaders. The Crusaders numbers are clearly designed to keep their players anonymous, but it may be Ben May who comes away with the ball. He tries to get the ball back to Ben Franks who is behind him. The ball goes rapidly from May to Franks to may to Franks. The commentator thought the ball came off Franks’s head and back to May.

The to-ing and fro-ing is rapid but it also deserves a scrum – for a knock-on or for accidental off-side.

2. Roll away

The Waratahs throw in at a line-out but burly John Schwalger grabs the ball. He has it up on his shoulder and Adam Freier of the Waratahs gets the ball off Schwalger who falls to ground. A heap forms with Freier also going to ground.

The referee penalises Freier, saying: Roll away, 2. You cannot just lie there. You must get out of the way.”

It seemed that the referee thought Freier was the tackler. But he was the ball-carrier. That said he still had the duty to get out of the way – a heavy duty as he was much lain upon in that heap.

The commentator thought that Freier was hard done by as he had played well. The commentator was right.

Freier, to his credit, showed no dissent at all. Juts got up without so much as a quizzical look and trotted off.

3. collapsed maul

About 25 metres from the Blues’ line, the Force throw in at a line-out but they make a mess of it and the Blues get the ball. They form a maul and shunt the thing down the field. Their shunting takes over 50 seconds and goes about 20 metres when, after splintering, it falls to the ground.

The referee blows his whistle and orders a scrum to the Force.

Commentator 1: Well, after all that he’s given the ball to the Force.”

Commentator 2: “There must’ve been a knock-on in there.”

Commentator 3: “When the maul goes to ground, it’s a change of possession.”

Who was right?

Law 17.6 UNSUCCESSFUL END TO A MAUL

(a) A maul ends unsuccessfully if it remains stationary or has stopped moving forward for longer than 5 seconds and a scrum is ordered. In both incidents the decision was a penalty.

(b) A maul ends unsuccessfully if the ball becomes unplayable or collapses (not as a result of foul play) and a scrum is ordered.

(c) Scrum following maul. The ball is thrown in by the team not in possession when the maul began. If the referee cannot decide which team had possession, the team moving forward before the maul stopped throws in the ball. If neither team was moving forward, the attacking team throws in the ball.

The Blues certainly had possession when the maul began. Even though they had had the ball for 50 seconds and 20 metres, the referee was right to give the ball to the Force and Commentator 3 was the one who was right.

4. Spectators express concern

Carl Hayman of the Highlanders passes the ball to Craig Newby. Newby is tackled by Gene Fairbanks of the Brumbies. Newby throws the ball back behind him as he falls, straight to Stirling Mortlock of the Brumbies who turns and gallops off towards the Highlanders’ line.

There is some voiced disapproval from the crowd. Those who disapproved were wrong. Mortlock was quite within his rights to nab the ball as there was general play and an opponent had last played the ball. There was nothing in what happened to put Mortlock off-side.

5. Over the 15

This happened twice on Saturday afternoon, once at Ellis park and once at Newlands. It’s enough to deal with the Ellis Park incident.

Willie Wepener of the Lions is about to throw in at a line-out in their match against the Cheetahs. Before he throws the pod of three at the back with Ernst Joubert in the middle move back over the 15-metre line. Then Wepener throws in to them.

The referee penalises the Lions. The same happened at Newlands in the match between the Stormers and the Sharks, and the referee penalised there as well.

Law 19.15 (b) Exception: Long throw-in. There is an exception to the law of off-side at the line-out. It applies if the ball is thrown beyond the 15-metre line. As soon as the ball leaves the hands of the player throwing in, any players of the thrower’s team may run for the ball.

This means that a player taking part in the line-out may run in-field beyond the 15-metre line, and a player not taking part in the line-out may run forward across the off-side line.
Penalty: Penalty Kick
For players taking part in the line-out: penalty kick is on the 15-metre line.

But in this case the ball was thrown to Joubert. So what was wrong?

What was wrong was that Joubert – and his two helpers – left the line-out before the line-out began, in other words before Wepener had thrown in.

Law 19.7 (h) Where the line-out players must stand. The front of the line-out is not less than 5 metres from the touch-line. The back of the line-out is not more than 15 metres from the touch-line. All line-out players must stand between these two points.
Penalty: Free Kick on the 15-metre line

That is what should have happened in this case. It is a technical offence – the players not in the right place before the line-out started.

If they had moved there after Wepener had thrown in and the ball had been thrown to them, play would have gone on.

If they had moved there after Wepener had thrown in but the ball was not thrown to them, it would have been a penalty.

6. What marks the spot?

About 15 metres in from the touch-line on his right and about 25 metres from the Bulls’ line Quade Cooper of the Reds kicks a high diagonal kick to his left. About five metres from touch and about five metres from the Bulls’ goal-line, little Heinie Adams jumps up and catches the ball with big James Horwell in attendance. Horwell had got there quickly, too quickly for he was judged to be off-side.

What option does the referee give the Bulls?

A scrum where Cooper kicked or a penalty where Horwell moved forward – some five metres in from touch and 23 metres from the Bulls’ goal-line.

That is what the referee did.

7. Keeping in touch

Heinie Adams of the Bulls tackles Ben Tune of the Reds into touch. Wayne Julies of the Bulls looks to get the ball to throw in quickly. Tune hangs on.

Julies gets cross, Tune hangs on, Johan Roets bangs into Tune, Bryan Habana joins in, Andrew Walker and Berrick Barnes approaches to support Tuine – it is all unseemly, childish and against the laws of the game. There is the potential for a flare-up. It is not an uncommon occurrence.

The referee penalised Tune.

Right?

Yes.

Law 19.2 (h) If a player carrying the ball is forced into touch, that player must release the ball to an opposition player so that there can be a quick throw – in.
Penalty: Penalty Kick on 15 – metre line

That is what the referee did.

8. So what?

The Bulls drive a maul not a long way in from the touch-line on their left and the ball comes back to Heinie Adams. He gives to Derick Hougaard who kicks a long kick across field. Akona Ndungane of the Bulls gives chase, perhaps if you blink enough marginally off-side but let’s accept that he was off-side. Brando Va’aulu of the Reds gets across but the ball bounces beyond him and into touch.

But the referee’s whistle had gone to penalise Ndungane for being off-side.

Ndungane may as well have been sitting in the stand for all the effect he had on play.

Is that really worth a penalty?

9. Tackling from behind
Reader: I would like some clarification as to whether tackling from behind is legal or illegal.

Comment: It is certainly legal as long as the tackle itself is legal – that is not a high tackle or a spear tackle or a late tackle.